the wall, her eyes on him, both hands
clasped on the hilt of her sword.
What he did next she could not have
anticipated in her wildest dreams. His
sword clattered to the ground and
then he was advancing. Having no
choice, unless she wished to run him
through and she certainly did not wish
that, Jaisyn lowered her sword and
stood her ground. Her husband
towered over her, looking every inch
an angry, avenging male. Strands of
his black hair stuck to his sweat-
slicked face, and his eyes had turned
to that deep shade of grey, the shade
that she had once confused for black.
His jaw was clenched, lips drawn
tightly over his teeth.
So caught up was she in the
intensity of his gaze she did not know
he was moving until his hand grasped
the hilt of her sword and tossed it. She
turned her head to see her sword land
to the far end of the room.
Defenseless, she lifted her chin and
faced him once more. She’d been
stupid. She had let him distract her
and he’d easily disarmed her.
He stepped closer to her and leaned
down.
She
inhaled
his
earthy,
masculine musk and tried to ignore
the effect it had on her body.
“Yield,” he said once more and
Jaisyn blinked rapidly before shaking
her head.
His hands grasped her arms and he
repeated his command once more.
She shook her head.
He kissed her. It was rough and
demanding, as he had been during
their fight.
***
Jaisyn shocked him more when she
pressed herself against him and parted
her lips. His tongue stroked hers
eagerly and she returned the favor.
When he pulled away, they were both
feeling heat that had nothing and
everything to do with their recent
fight.
Vulcan stared down at her, noticing
that her eyes had turned to that
beautiful shade that he enjoyed very
much. Liquid gold. His wife wanted
him. And he had wanted her for seven
torturous days. There would be no
stopping him now. His arm went
around her back and he pulled her
flush up against his body. A soft cry
escaped her lips moments before his
lips captured it. Jaisyn groaned as she
felt his body against hers, admitting
that she’d missed him, that she’d
missed this. Her hands came up and
went to his shoulders, which were
covered in rough, biting metal. She
pulled away from his lips and pushed
out of his arms. Puzzled, Vulcan
raised his eyebrows at her.
“Your chain mail,” she murmured
breathlessly.
He understood. He worked quickly,
tugging the heavy material over his
head and throwing it to her floor. That
done, she stepped into his arms once
more, lifting her lips to his as her
hands caressed the soft hairs at the
nape of his neck.
Enough,
Vulcan
told
himself,
deciding that tonight would be soon
enough to finish their play. Right now,
he wanted to be inside her. Fighting
his wife had served to infuriate him
but it had done little to squelch the lust
that burned him every time she
countered his attacks. Everything that
she did as he tried to knock her sword
away from her, he found captivating.
The way she tossed her hair over her
shoulder, the way she licked her dry
lips, how she moved to avoid him,
everything.
He began undoing the buttons in her
riding habit. His lips were still
attached to hers. In his impatience, he
ripped the closure, and deciding that
he would get her a new one, found the
seams for the entire bodice and ripped
that as well. Her breasts spilled out,
beautiful offerings to tame the beast
she’d unleashed. He filled his hands
with them, rolling his fingers around
the already hard buds.
***
She gasped and moved her hands
under his tunic. His skin was hot and
damp. Jaisyn caressed the hard ridges
of his stomach, and moved her hands
up to his chest. The tunic was a
hindrance. She removed her hands
and stepped away from him once
more. She headed over to the bed,
moving the ripped upper half of her
riding habit from her body and
unhooking the loose breeches she
wore underneath. Vulcan watched as
she stripped naked and slipped under
the furs. He approached the bed,
tugging his tunic over his head. His
boots, he easily discarded. The
breeches were undone and pushed
from his body.
Jaisyn watched him in anticipation
and slight fear. She’d missed him,
missed the way he loved her, missed
the way he held her, missed the way
he felt against her, missed the way he
smelled. And she’d felt guilty about
missing him. In his absence from her
bed, Jaisyn had come to the
realization that she was not falling in
love with her husband, she was
already there. She did not know when
it had happened but she knew it was
true.
He tossed the furs away from her
and easily slid atop her, bracing his
weight on muscular arms. Her thighs
cradled his hips lovingly and she
stared up at him in something akin to
wonder.
“Jaisyn?” he breathed softly, leaning
down to pull one of her dusky nipples
into his mouth.
She arched into him and cried out.
He released her nipple and attached
his lips to hers once more. Her arms
snaked around his back, caressing him
before her hands moved down to his
buttocks and she pulled him forward.
Vulcan shifted his hips, and reached
between their bodies. Lining himself
up, he plunged home. She whimpered
at the feel of him buried deep. He
didn’t give her time to recover as he
set a quick pace that made her breasts
bounce rapidly against her body.
Jaisyn held onto him and focused on
the slide of his body into hers, the feel
of him above her, his masculine scent,
which both relaxed and energized her.
Within minutes, she came apart
under him. A few thrusts later, he
pushed to the hilt and climaxed.
***
voice interrupted the peaceful silence
that had fallen after their intense
lovemaking. His fingers traced her
shoulder, and she knew he was
referring to her scar.
Jaisyn shifted, rolling onto her back
before moving into the heat of his
body. Vulcan’s brows were knitted,
curious. Drawing a deep breath, she
told him about her costly decision to
ride into battle.
He listened without interruption as
she spoke through the tightness in her
throat, of her brother’s valiant attempt
to save her.
“You were but a child, Jaisyn—.”
“I was good with the sword, better
than the squires,” she interrupted,
knowing with hindsight, he spoke true.
“I thought I was ready.”
There was a long silence as she
reminisced on the day that would
always haunt her, the strokes of
Vulcan’s fingers against her back
calming her.
“I don’t want you training with my
men.”Jaisyn closed her eyes and
sighed, shaking her long tresses about
her head. “It’s a part of me, Vulcan. I
won’t—I can’t stop.”
A sigh escaped him and he said
ruefully, “I had the feeling you would
say that.”
Lowering her head to her husband’s
chest, Jaisyn listened to the solid beat
of his heart.
***
“You said your father raised you as
a boy?” he probed, lifting his hand
and taking one of her curls between
his fingers.
Jaisyn nodded. “As a child, my
selection of toys included wooden
swords and daggers. My father
thought it humorous to indulge himself
so. As I grew older, I begged him to
allow me to train with the younger
squires. He indulged himself once
more. Malcolm became my partner
because the other squires were afraid
either to hurt me or be trounced by a
girl.”
A smile touched her lips as he
scowled. Malcolm had fled Lytheria
and Vulcan had the distinct feeling it
had something to with Jaisyn.
“How long did you train with
Malcolm?” he found himself asking.
“I began training at ten years old
and Malcolm remained my partner
until you arrived.”
The last part was said with a hint of
bitterness that Vulcan ignored. His
mind was replaying a conversation
that he’d had with Varian at Lytheria.
His brother had told him that Malcolm
had met another soldier by the lake, a
soldier he’d shown affection for by
kissing. His eyes narrowed and his
grip on her hair tightened. She did not
feel it.
“Why did Malcolm leave Lytheria?”
he asked calmly, even as he felt his
blood boil. Varian had said that the
soldier had demonstrated considerable
skill with a sword and that he had not
been able to see the man’s face. As he
thought back to earlier in the day, as
he stared down at his wife, her face
covered in grime, and men’s clothing
covering her body, he couldn’t help
the transgression of his thoughts.
“He could not stay,” she told him
vaguely.
“Why not? Was he not your loyal
servant, your loyal
friend
?” Vulcan
demanded softly, wondering how he
had missed it. Why had he not
suspected that the friendship between
his wife and Malcolm, the general’s
son, was deeper than friendship? As
he thought of that, he ignored the pain
that lanced through his heart and
remembered the first time he’d
encountered Jaisyn within the castle
walls. When she’d seen Malcolm,
she’d cried out in happiness. And at
their wedding, he’d spied Malcolm
speaking to his wife in such a familiar
fashion that he’d approached them,
wanting to remove his wife from the
man’s presence. It did not help that
the man was considered a mortal god
by many of the Lytherian women.
She licked at her lips nervously.
“Yes Vulcan, Malcolm was a loyal
friend and servant but he needed to
leave. For his own reasons.”
“ H e
n e e d e d
to leave?” Vulcan
retorted.
Jaisyn nodded, refusing to explain
why. He suddenly pulled her further
up his body, so that she was directly
over him.
“Was it because he loved you,
Jaisyn?”
Her eyes widened, involuntarily
answering his question.
“You were the soldier by the lake,”
he said, more so to himself than her.
She gasped.
Vulcan pushed her from him and
moved away from the bed.
“Vulcan!” she called after him,
scrambling from the bed and going
after him. “You do not understand.”
He whirled, furious once more.
“Make me understand, wife! Malcolm
loved you and you loved him. And
even after we were married, you
disguised yourself and met with him
by a lake! First the Prince of Mitherie
and now Malcolm! Have you offered
yourself to him as well?”
***
Shocked at that accusation, Jaisyn
remained speechless, two naked
lovers staring at each other across a
room lit not only by firelight but by
sunlight.
“You insult me, Vulcan! I came to
your bed an innocent,” Jaisyn finally
said, staring hard at him. “Malcolm
and I have been nothing but friends.”
He let out a disbelieving laugh. “And
you swear, on your Goddess, that you
did not kiss him, dressed as man, by
the lakeside?”
As she remembered that encounter,
Jaisyn’s eyes lowered slightly before